Distribution of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and G-CSF-receptor mRNA and protein in the human fetus

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) promotes neutrophil proliferation, differentiation, and survival. It acts by binding to specific cell-surface receptors (G-CSF-R), which are expressed on cells of granulocytic lineage, human endothelial cells, and placenta. It has been postulated that the administration of recombinant G-CSF (rG-CSF) to preterm neonates might be useful in treating infections or in reducing nosocomial infections. Whereas it is known that G-CSF and G-CSF-R are present in the developing fetal bone marrow and liver, no information is available as to the existence or distribution of nonhematopoietic G-CSF-R in other tissues of the developing human fetus. We hypothesized that G-CSF and its receptor might be expressed in various fetal tissues, as has been shown for other growth factors such as erythropoietin and fibroblast growth factor. Therefore, we studied the anatomical distribution of mRNA-encoding G-CSF and G-CSF-R, using RT-PCR and in situ RT-PCR in a variety of human fetal tissues ranging from 8 to 24 weeks postconception. The cellular distributions of the corresponding proteins were determined by immunohistochemistry. Both G-CSF and G-CSF-R were present in nearly every organ and tissue examined, but in discrete cellular localizations. G-CSF-R in kidney and intestine underwent changes in anatomical distribution with fetal development. These results indicate that G-CSF and G-CSF-R have wide anatomical expression in the developing human fetus.